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Blocked by the Bridge? New Campaign Wants to Know

The folks behind the Build Our New Bridge Now campaign, primarily the Chambers of Commerce on both sides of the Ohio River, launched a new campaign today dubbed Blocked by the Bridge. The campaign for a public-private partnership to expedite the Brent Spence Bridge project includes TV and radio ads. From the Business Courier:

The Build Our New Bridge Now Coalition began airing TV and radio ads Tuesday calling for the creation of a public-private partnership to explore financing options for the $2.7 billion project. Opposition to tolls has kept Kentucky lawmakers from endorsing that idea.

But Covington businessman Brent Cooper criticized that opposition as short-sighted and bad for business. Cooper, president of C-Forward Information Technologies, said Brent Spence Bridge delays cost his company more than $100,000 annually. He expects that figure to rise over time. So, even if a new bridge toll cost his company thousands, he figures he’d still be better off with a bridge financed by user fees.

“That bridge costs us money every day,” Cooper said. “We’re already blocked by the bridge. We don’t want to be blocked by our politicians.”

Speakers at Tuesday's kick-off event, according to reports on Twitter, included Kenton County Sheriff Chuck Korzenborn who warned that officers typically have a way out in emergency situations, but not on the functionally obsolete bridge. An iron worker also longed for a large scale project for folks in his field.

The organizers want feedback from the community and personal stories about how local people may feel "blocked by the bridge". Check out Blocked By The Bridge or the effort's Facebook or Twitter pages. You can also see the group's first commercials at YouTube.